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1911 22 conversion help, Marvel & nelson?

12K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  bczrx 
#1 ·
I have a Kimber 9mm 1911 that I'm looking to buy a 22 conversion for.

I know the Kimber unit only fits 45's.

Nelson fits all caliber 1911's IIRC.

Marvel doesn't really specify, they only say there unit will fit most 1911 frames.

Anyone know if Marvel will fit a 9mm?

Anyone know the current lead times from either company?

Any other input is welcome. Arthritis is putting a hurting on my hands, so I need more rimfire range time.
 
#2 ·
Will not. I went through the same thing. The 9mm extractor gets into the way somehow.

Best best is getting a cheap 45 1911 and adding a kit to that. Or picking up at gsg 1911

I checked with every vendor, they said it might be possible to have a Smith modify it to work but now your looking at much more money.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 
#3 ·
The owner of Marvel Precision is a VERY friendly guy who wants his customers to be happy and to promote the Marvel name. Call the company and ask for Travis. I've had many conversations with him and he'll happily answer all your questions. You don't specify which Marvel Unit you are interested in. I have a Unit#1 and it's superb. I like it so much I ordered a Unit#2 on April 30th and was told there is a 2 week build time. When I bought my Unit#1 last year there was a 30 day build time. Trust me it's worth the wait. I don't own a Nelson but I'm sure it's the same with them. I've never heard anyone who is unhappy with one.
 
#5 ·
I had the same concerns years ago when the inventor of the Marvel (Bob Marvel himself) still owned the company. I had a Colt 1911 Delta Elite in 10mm and the Kimber conversion unit definitely would not fit. The Marvel Unit #1 does fit. I have no idea if it will fit a 9mm 1911.

Which to buy, #1 or #2? The #1 is a Target version with the barrel and the sight affixed to the frame and a separate bolt moves in recoil. The #2 is a Tactical practice gun where the barrel is fixed to the frame and the sights are mounted on the slide. The slide and sights move together in recoil. The #1 is the accuracy model and boy is it accurate. Some shooters use it in Bullseye competition as it shoots better than almost any other under $1000+ 22LR target gun you can buy.

In the end I bought a RIA 45acp gun, set aside the 45acp barrel and slide and replaced all the frames internals with match grade parts. That way I got a superior 22LR match pistol with a tuned trigger to kill for.

When Bob Marvel left his company he went to work for a series of companies helping each of them increase the accuracy of their conversion unit. (Was Nelson one???).

I highly recommend the Marvel Unit #1, at least in the generation that I have. Sometimes when companies change ownership the product changes too. It might be necessary to talk with a current model owner to see if the accuracy remains in the latest versions (??).

LDBennett
 
#6 ·
Marvel Precision Unit#1

Here's a thread I started shortly after receiving my Marvel Precision Unit#1 last August. It's my review of Marvel's current offering and shortly after Marvel Precision changed ownership. Note the pic with the target in post #10. Mine continues to be a tack driver if I do my part. As I said, I am so impressed with the Unit#1 I recently purchased a Unit#2 but don't have it yet. I'll post a review when I receive it and try it out. I also agree with the previous posters who advise to find a dedicated lower. It makes life that much easier to shoot the conversion unit with the same frame and same trigger all the time. I purchased this Colt Combat Elite bare frame for cheap and built it up using a host of Colt/Fusion/Wilson Combat/Dlask parts. As Mr Bennett says, it has a trigger to kill for. You mention Marvel and Nelson and IMHO these 2 companies are the best heavy hitters in the 1911 .22 Conversion Unit field. None of these are cheap, so its important to make an informed decision so you will be happy with what you buy.
Here's my review of the Marvel Precision Unit#1:
https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1132387
My bare Colt Combat Elite frame and the finished pistol:
 

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#7 ·
824tsv:

Nice gun!!

My records tell me I bought my Marvel in 2004 when Bob Marvel still owned some part of the company. Some point later he was forced out of the company (??). I see you bought yours in 2018 and describe a "recent" management change. I think there must have been an intermediate management team between those two dates. I know it makes little difference if the products are the same quality and accuracy. Apparently they are, based on your report here. Great!

The magazines Bob Marvel provided me were Colt ACE magazines, according to him. What they provide today I have no idea. 15 years ago there were few choices for a 22LR 1911. I do not believe the GSG guns were being imported yet. As an aside, Those GSG made guns are not in the same ball park as the Marvel conversion units for accuracy. But they are inexpensive do to the use of Zinc alloys rather than steel and obviously made with lesser accuracy specifications.

LDBennett
 
#8 ·
Marvel magazines

The standard magazine you get with either Unit#1 or Unit#2 is a polymer 10 rounder. It almost looks identical to the one that Brownell's sells but I haven't had one of theirs to compare. As an option with Marvel you can purchase a metal GSG 10 round magazine. Marvel has installed a steel insert in the follower to lock the slide open and not wear on the plastic follower tab. I purchased 1 new GSG magazine from Marvel and 4 of their modified GSG magazine followers. The GSG magazines work fine in both my Norinco M1911-A1 that I used initially and my newly finished Colt C.E. lower without any issues. On a side note to the GSG magazines, these also work without issue with both of my Colt .22 Conversion Units. However, from what I've read they don't work for everyone. As far as previous ownership of Marvel goes I have no clue. All I can tell you is that the current owner is a great guy and wants you to be a satisfied customer. Thats my experiance....
 
#9 ·
I met Bob Marvel at the shot show in 2005 where he delivered to me the extra magazine he could not include with the conversion unit. That was because Colt mag deliveries at the time were a problem for him. Really nice guy. I was saddened to hear he lost his company. But he apparently did OK latter on fixing other's conversion units designs.

LDBennett
 
#10 ·
I'm going to put a plug in here for CWA conversions. I was able to test drive one of Chets conversions earlier this year. At the time I had a Nelson conversion on a Springfield MilSpec 45 and a S&W 41. I ran the CWA on the Springfield and my GSG 1911 22 lower. Off of a rest at 25yards you would be hard pressed to tell any of these 3 guns apart. Even off of the GSG frame.
I've also spent some quality time with my brothers Marvel unit 1, which is also outstanding.
I ordered my Nelson last October and it was delivered 12 weeks later.
 
#11 ·
I can't say enough good things about the Nelson conversion units. I own two, each on a dedicated Caspian frame and have installed several others for customers. Some Springfield ejectors are too tall but a quick few strokes with a file will clear the Nelson and not effect the function with the original slide.
My Nelsons run 100% reliably with Nelson polymer magazines. They look just like the ones Brownells sells but the Brownells units don't work as well. They don't lock back on empty all the time, nor do the GSG's.
 
#14 ·
Bob Marvel designed the "Marvel" unit, then left that company. Next Bob associated with Advantage Arms. I recall 3-4 changes as the AA unit evolved. Not sure why the transition, but next Bob associated with Nighthawk and Nelson. The Nighthawk/Nelson had a few growing pains as well. Nighthawk left the picture and now Nelson has a conversion that apparently satisfied Bob. Nelson handles them now I think exclusively.

Presently I have an AA unit with a Bob Marvel provided barrel. And 3-4 Nelson units, one of which is the Bob Marvel provided complete unit.


 
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